Pokémon Master Sword and Hylian Shield - Which box legendary is best? (LEAK-FREE ZONE FROM PAGE 7 ONWARDS)

I let myself get distracted a lot by catching Pokémon and exploring for Diglets (particularly when I realised that was the way to get my

Spoiler:

) and I think that's the best way to enjoy this DLC. The story is pretty short but the point is that you're wondering around the island, forming this bond with a new bear friend. I enjoyed just vibing with Kubfu and my various other bears.

That's fair enough - for me that part is undermined a tad because of the lack of new wild Pokémon. I don't really care about re-catching the old ones! (Apart from a Volcarona and Vulpix because they're great. No you're a hypocrite.)

Taking Kubfu to see the views is definitely the best part of the DLC though.

Wait until you see my overall verdict on it...

Given that I've spent most of my time on this looking for Digletts I can safely say that having things to collect in the wild area is the way forward for Pokémon.

Treesmurf wrote:

Given that I've spent most of my time on this looking for Digletts I can safely say that having things to collect in the wild area is the way forward for Pokémon.

Agreedo!
I guess I've discovered that if I enjoy existing in a game world, I like having a bunch of collectables.

The Lady got really into the Digletts, so they clearly work for some. 'Diffuse', though? What's all that about?

For me, 151 is about as high a number as they could go. BOTW and Odyssey both go for 999, but those worlds are more inherently enjoyable to play in.

Anyone tried the restricted sparring yet? I've given it a go with a few teams but not gotten very far. Not sure I'm really into the fact that the restrictions are put on you but none on the trainers you face! I mean, I've got a team of three Ground types and the first trainer I'm up against has a Wailord and a Mamoswine? AND I can only heal twice in 5 battles when they're all at full health? It's a big challenge! Too much of a challenge for me, I think.

I'm glad it's there because I can convince myself that one day I'll get into training teams enough to give it a go but . . . I probably won't

Did anyone happen to play the Shield version of Isle of Armour?

The only Pokémon I have left in that Pokédex are the trade evolutions and the two Shield exclusives, Skrelp and Heracross.

I did... I didn't catch either, but could maybe be tempted to have a peer about for them after I've finished the Crown Tundra.

Speaking of, three weeks hey? I'm... maybe not looking forward to it exactly, but it'll be a nice little addition. I have no intention of trying all the extra tournaments and stuff, but I do look forward to meeting King Arthur But Rabbit.

I am very excited. I like Pokémon, you see.

It's out tonight.  Anyone picking it straight up?  I'm a little irked that I'll have to do an entire working day before I play it - presumably it's releasing at a better time for Buska, but it'll be all over the Internet by the time I wake up.

My girlfriend has ordered it and is very disappointed that it won't be playable until 5am or something over here. I'll join the party a little later but I am looking forward to it.

I've started it. Slightly disappointed with the fetch quest I seem to be going on based on the main monster... ah well, the Regis look like they might be more fun.

I've started it too. Pleasant enough fun so far. The gigantamax cave thing is novel - I quite like the fact you have to rent Pokemon and switch up your tactics - but playing with the AI (which the game recommends you do the first time you try it) reminds me of how FUCKING STUPID they are. But I caught a Suicune which woz good.

I had an hour or two, seems like a nice place to be.

I've seen the main credits now, having done the main quests - still a couple of Pokemon to evolve to fill the Pokedex out a bit, and legendaries to catch in the Max Lair (though I still don't really like Dynamaxing - it's sooo slooow and oversimplifies battles).

They've brought back a couple of my all-time top 'mon (Aurorus and Altaria), and there are some fun bits about the quests (the legendary birds are cool - you have to chase them, a bit like the beasts from GSC - they don't immediately bolt from battle though).

Otherwise, it's just... fine? It left me feeling the same as the Isle of Armour. It's fine. Good, even! It just still feels to me like the beginnings of what the series could be. Compare it to a world like Xenoblade's and it's clearly lacking. Arguably though the meat of the Pokemon games are the battles, and the thing that annoys me with Sw/Sh battles is Dynamaxing. Which you can't really get away from.

Enjoyable enough, but I do hope the series fleshes things out more in its next instalments.

Spoilers about obtainable Pokemon:

Balladeer wrote:

...ah well, the Regis look like they might be more fun.

(Can't find the full .gif disappointingly.)

Aaaaah, I'd forgotten how catching legendary Pokémon was the worst part of the game. Red health? Tick! Paralysed? Tick! Forty Ultra Balls later? Tick! It's even more annoying with that one roaming Pokémon who more often than not you're fighting in hail, meaning you have about one turn where their health's in the right ballpark.

I agree with Rum that the world's lacking, but I don't ever see Pokémon being a series where you have a full XC-like pretend ecosystem, or where it has the same feel of adventure. The turn-based combat means that even if you run across a level 80 Snorlax on route 1 it's not going to have the same nail-biting effect. As a result I hope they go back to a more linear approach in the future, but I fear they won't.

Ah well, I still enjoyed the main game. What's more, I've been looking back at the franchise and realised that the first Pokémon game on any new hardware is usually pretty shonky, bad even (XY, DP - even RBY are glitchy unbalanced Zubat-fests redeemed by mystery and nostalgia), whereas the second ones are normally pretty good! (SM, BW, GSC.) Hopefully we see another set of Pokémon games on Switch and the pattern continues.

RBY are arguably quite bad games (unbalanced, as you say, and some of the type match-ups just literally work incorrectly in-game) but tell than to a gewunner. It is intensely nostalgic though. If/when they announce 'Let's Go Johto!' the nostalgia might knock me out.

I agree that catching legendaries is a tedious part of the series. I caught the birds and the Regis and then... looked at them in a box. I don't really like using them in battles because it feels cheap, but having them at your disposal feels like the point of this DLC.

I'm enjoying the DLC and I like that's its pretty much all about Pokémon, with minimal humans, but much more so than the first pack all of this stuff feels like it would have been better as part of the main games. Sword and Shield lacked both side quests and legendary pokémon, so if these clues had been obtainable during a main playthrough I think they'd have been ace.

Whenever I get around to sorting out a streaming set-up, I think I'll give Shield GOTY Edition or whatever it's called a go and try doing the Island and the Tundra during the course of the adventure.

Did everyone get a Zarude code? I got one from GAME last month but have had one sent from the newsletter as well if anyone wants it.

E011Q1RMJEDTH8B7

I actually already have two Zarudes- one for pre-ordering my movie ticket, and another one with a cape which I got when I actually saw the movie.

I've just claimed that code - thanks treesmurf!